Chapter 81
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81
The aerial vehicle carrying Giselle and me touched down at Akbaran's 1st Airport.
An airport was on a completely different scale from a mere airfield—and the 1st Airport was the largest of them all.
The city airfields we normally used could only handle small and medium-sized aircraft. Larger vessels, like starships and airships, took off and landed at airports situated on the city's outskirts rather than deeper inland.
As a result, even though Akbaran's airports sat on the periphery, their security and facilities rivaled anything in the Upper District.
Ruuuumble!
Even now, colossal cargo ships responsible for the Empire's logistics passed overhead, casting dizzyingly vast shadows. Dozens of massive thrusters were mounted along their underbellies; if one of those things ever flew too low, it would turn the entire city into a sea of fire.
This is driving me crazy.
But the reason I felt like I was losing my mind lay elsewhere. The awe-inspiring majesty of those unreally massive airships didn't register with me at all right now.
Rustle.
The skirt fluttering around my lower body felt utterly foreign.
"Fix your face. You'll ruin your makeup," said Giselle, who had stepped out of the vehicle ahead of me.
I drew a deep breath to steady myself.
This is a mission.
And I am a soldier of the Empire. I'm not some fool who'd blow a mission over petty pride.
My head cooled in an instant. I flushed away the useless emotions like flushing a toilet. I am not a defective product. Nor am I rebellious.
"Yes, my lady," I said in a modulated voice.
It was a function of the choker around my neck. The tone came out somewhat gender-neutral, but since my appearance was unmistakably female, it was more than enough.
Now, let's review my identity. My name, for now, is Keisa. I joined the Custoria household as a maid two months ago. Keisa hails from the Lower District, but she was selected and trained from a young age to serve a noble family.
Because the Selection Test deemed her suited to a noble household's service.
Keisa is obedient, patient, and diligent. From this moment on, I have to become that woman.
"My lady? Ah, well, I suppose that's right. Hm."
Giselle seemed more startled than anyone by how instantly my whole demeanor had shifted.
Click, clack.
I stepped out of the aerial vehicle, heels clicking against the ground. A servant must always let their master know where they are. That was why they wore shoes that made a pleasant, distinct sound—a master could tell their servant was approaching just from the noise. Not so different from putting a bell on a cat.
"Soon, the Kartika family's..."
I checked the time and hesitated for a moment. Damn it—I had to refer to Ilay like this too. It was enough to rattle the composure I'd worked so hard to build.
"...Young Master Ilay will arrive."
But having started, I had no intention of doing things by halves.
"Right, Lu—Ke... isa."
The one who really needed to pull herself together wasn't me. It was Giselle.
Giselle is not a soldier.
She was different from me. Giselle was someone to be watched and protected. If anything went wrong on this mission, it would come from her. And as a soldier, it was my job to cover for her, to patch over her mistakes. I had to stay sharp.
Click, clack.
I came to a stop before Giselle. Through the crowd bustling across the airport, I spotted Ilay.
Unlike me—exposed in more ways than one—Ilay walked toward us fully armed. He wore a chest protector to shield his biological parts, and a thinly folded Variable Combat Helmet hung at the back of his neck.
Ilay stumbled. He'd seen me. The glowing rings of his cybernetic eyes flickered rapidly as they analyzed my form.
It was a thorough disguise, but it was hard to fool the keen eyes of someone who'd spent years at my side.
...Damn it.
Having recognized me, Ilay was fighting desperately to hold back his laughter. His cheeks flushed red and puffed out with the effort.
"S-Sorry, sorry. If you're here, then just as I thought..." Ilay whispered as he approached. He didn't ask why I was dressed as a woman.
On the surface, the mission was to escort Giselle Custoria. Beneath that lay the private affairs of the Custoria family. Someone like Ilay would have already pieced it together.
Do not seek knowledge beyond your clearance.
It was a virtue of an Imperial soldier, and Ilay upheld it faithfully.
He passed by me as though I were just another maid, then approached Giselle and greeted her.
"I am Ilay Kartika, dispatched from the Imperial Guard for escort duty."
By appearance and bearing alone, Ilay was the very picture of a noble young master.
"...I am Giselle Custoria. We've crossed paths a few times, but this is the first time we've spoken properly."
Giselle and Ilay weren't close acquaintances. Yet they likely knew a great deal about each other.
Because of me.
I had told Ilay about Giselle, and I had told Giselle about Ilay.
"I've been hoping for a chance to speak with you privately, Giselle."
"Likewise. This seems like a fine opportunity. This is... Keisa, my personal maid."
"A pleasure to meet you, Keisa," Ilay said, turning to me.
He kept his composure behind an astonishingly mechanical smile. It made his near-eruption of laughter from moments ago seem like a lie.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Ilay."
I curtsied, holding the edges of my skirt.
My expression and tone were every bit as mechanical as Ilay's. Not that they were entirely lifeless—like his smile, I layered artificial, surface-level emotion over a machine-like core.
That was the kind of beings we were. If we willed it, we could become machines in human form at any moment.
"...That's it?"
Giselle faltered at the dryness of our exchange. She'd probably expected two close friends to burst into excited chatter the moment they met.
But I, as Keisa, and Ilay were meeting for the first time. That was how we acknowledged one another. And right now, there were far too many eyes on us.
What mattered now was completing the mission.
"My lady, I believe it would be best to clear customs before it gets any later," I said, gently steering Giselle forward.
"Thank you, Keisa. It's been a while since I've been to the airport, so I let myself get distracted. Yes—I need to focus."
Giselle quickened her step, and I fell in behind her.
* * *
The 1st Airport had over fifty departure terminals. The ones in the thirties handled domestic flights by private aerial vehicle.
In the Empire, those who traveled between cities by aerial vehicle were nobles and the wealthy. Lower-class citizens relied on ground vehicles or trains.
Yet even the privileged needed permission to enter or leave Akbaran's airspace. In principle, coming and going without a permit was impossible. Of course, that was only in principle.
In practice, it was impossible to block every illegal flight and transit. And those with real power could simply ignore the rules.
But unless you have something to hide, there's no reason not to get a permit.
Having finished the procedures, Giselle walked back toward us, the permit clutched in her hand.
Another privilege of the nobility.
We had arrived that same day and secured the permit in barely ten minutes. Because her family's prestige vouched for her identity, she wasn't even subjected to a real inspection. For a lower-class citizen, getting a permit issued would have taken days.
From this moment on, Giselle's travel records and destination would be logged in the airport's database. All we had to do now was wait for Barbara to take the bait.
Permit in hand, we shouldered through the crowd and returned to the aerial vehicle we'd arrived in.
[Switching operation mode to manual.]
A guidance voice chimed as Giselle worked the controls. As she moved to take the driver's seat, Ilay quickly stepped forward.
"Allow me to drive—"
"No, I'll do it. I enjoy handling machinery," Giselle said firmly.
She wasn't lying. Her major at the Academy was mechanical engineering. In fact, I'd often seen her tinkering with cybernetic prosthetics and machinery.
"If you insist, then I'll leave it to you."
Ilay yielded without argument and took a seat inside.
"As you likely know, Ilay, my destination is the Autonovas research institute. I heard they've unveiled a new prototype vehicle. Anyone with even a passing interest in the field is bound to visit."
Giselle spoke as she methodically worked the vehicle's controls, prepping for takeoff.
"A prototype from Autonovas is sure to draw attention. Even I'm curious. Ah, by any chance—"
Ilay put his social skills to work, feigning interest. He didn't actually care, but he tossed out questions about mechanical engineering to draw Giselle into conversation.
Autonovas.
I knew them well. A mega-corporation that primarily manufactured ground vehicles. They lagged a bit in the aerial vehicle and aircraft sectors, but when it came to ground vehicles, their technological prowess and reliability were unmatched.
Everything perfectly natural, without a hint of suspicion. Just like a plan arranged by Heilas.
Plenty of nobles would be going to see the Autonovas prototype. Giselle's visit was entirely unremarkable.
Perhaps Barbara had been waiting for this very day, fully confident that Giselle would attend the exhibition.
"You rarely see quadrupedal tracked vehicles in downtown Akbaran. They aren't really suited to urban areas," Ilay said, keeping the conversation rolling.
"But I've heard their usage rate is climbing in rough terrain. That's why people are guessing the Autonovas prototype is a quadrupedal tracked vehicle too."
"Hmm, I prefer classic four-wheeled vehicles myself. I wish they'd release more of those."
Their conversation was light-years removed from anything that interested me.
I closed my eyes and let my mind drift. Right now, my only weapon was the dagger strapped to my thigh.
I felt its shape through the fabric of my skirt, recalling the texture of it.
The Grakken Boot.
A dagger with an awkward name. Unlike the Shock Pistol Ruina or the high-compression heavy weapon Crucis, I had almost never had reason to use the Grakken Boot.
It was a gift from Ilay.
According to his explanation, it was an extraordinary blade—a treasure that only commander-class warriors of the alien Equesian race were allowed to possess.
If things go south, I'll have to make do with just this.
The Ruina and the Crucis were stowed in the vehicle's compartment. Both were high-output weapons forged by the Imperial Workshop—hardly the sort of thing a mere maid could carry around.
Still, Ilay's here, so it should be fine.
I narrowed my eyes slightly, studying him.
Over the past few months, Ilay had been living far more intensely than most. He drove himself relentlessly, as if punishing himself for all the years he'd wasted in idleness.
My instincts told me he was growing stronger.
"Is there something on my face, Keisa?"
Feeling my gaze, Ilay spoke with a slick smile. Mischief glinted in his eyes. It lasted only a fraction of a second, but by then we'd already reached a silent understanding through our eyes and expressions alone.
"I was just thinking you're an exceptionally handsome man. I couldn't help but stare."
I said it slowly, holding a perfectly poised demeanor.
Screeech—jolt!
The aerial vehicle lurched violently, as if we'd been in a collision. It was because Giselle, at the controls, had faltered at my words.
"Pfft—snort. I-Ilay. Please. Take... take the controls..."
Giselle gripped the steering column with one hand while clamping the other over her mouth, fighting a losing battle against her laughter.
...Seemed our little joke had gone a touch too far.
Ilay slid into the driver's seat before the vehicle could flip. Seats swapped, Giselle finally managed to school her expression, glaring at me as she mouthed something.
Didn't you say we had to take this mission seriously?
I tilted my head, playing innocent.
She had a point. We shouldn't have fooled around just then. It was a slip born of Ilay and me failing to rein in our impulses.
But we aren't perfect machines. No—we aren't perfect at all. And that is exactly why, for now, we remain humans who merely resemble machines.